At Last
by leochick
Summary: It's Miss Parker's birthday, and once again her father disappoints her. Guess who shows up? Just a fluff piece of JMP. Please read and review.


Disclaimer: The television show "The Pretender" and the song "At Last" by Etta James belong to their respectful owners. No money is being made from this. It's all for good fun.

**_At Last_**

Miss Parker sat in the fancy restaurant by herself, trying to remain the picture of calm. It was her birthday and of course he was ten minutes late. What was taking him so long? She wondered. Looking out the window, she could see the snow falling, covering everything in a pristine, white blanket. Maybe he was held up at work, she thought. Grabbing her small black purse, she rummaged through it looking for her cell phone. When she grabbed it, she was slightly startled by the ringing.

"What?" she answered.

'Angel, it's your father," her father replied back.

A smile lit up her face. "Daddy, where are you? I was beginning to…"

"Angel, I'm sorry," he interjected.

_No, don't do this. Not today of all days, _she thought, trying to deny the pain that wrapped around her heart. "Daddy, please don't," she whispered out, trying her best to remain calm.

"Angel, I'm afraid I won't make it to dinner tonight. The Triumvirate has called for an emergency meeting in Africa…"

Miss Parker looked away from the happy couples and families that sat around her inside the restaurant. Looking out the window, she could see the snow was picking up in intensity. Closing her eyes, she cleared her throat. "But Daddy, it's my birthday. You promised to have dinner with me," she said quietly.

"I know I did, but I'm sorry. Maybe next year we could celebrate, okay Angel?" he asked hopefully.

Wiping a stray tear away, she meekly nodded, "Yes Daddy, whatever you say."

There was a pause before he answered back. "Happy Birthday, Angel."

Hearing the dial tone come across the line, Miss Parker closed her cell phone, putting it back into her purse. Staring out the window she whispered sadly, "Yes, Happy Birthday to me."

_**At last…**_

Not wanting to stay any longer, Miss Parker abruptly got up from her table, not wanting to stay one minute longer. Everyone that surrounded her looked and sounded happy. In her hasty attempt to grab her purse, her arm accidentally knocked into the full champagne glass that sat on the table. Cursing to herself for her clumsiness, she grabbed a cloth napkin, dabbing frantically at the spilled liquid that was now soaking through the tablecloth and the carpet on the floor. "Damn him," she kept muttering to herself.

_**My love has come along…**_

"Do you need a hand?"

Miss Parker instantly froze, recognizing that voice anywhere. Knowing she looked like a mess, she kept her face down. "Jarod, what do you want?"

From the corner of her eye, she could see him kneel down beside her. "I want to help," he simply answered.

Miss Parker closed her eyes. The last thing she wanted was for Jarod to see her like this. "Please Jarod, just go away. I'm doing perfectly fine without your help," she whispered out softly, the usual bite gone from her voice.

There was silence between them as Jarod remained firmly in place.

_**My lonely days are over…**_

"Miss Parker…" Jarod whispered out gently, concern evident in his voice.

Miss Parker closed her eyes, trying her best to keep her tears at bay, but her attempts were futile as more tears cascaded down her cheeks. "Jarod, please just go away," she pleaded, hoping he would leave.

"Is everything okay here?" came a waiter's voice from above them.

"Yes, everything is fine. Please, if you don't mind we just need a few minutes alone," Jarod answered back with a pleasant voice.

"Ah…yes…whatever you say sir," the waiter stammered out before quickly walking away.

"Miss Parker..." When she still didn't look up, Jarod reached out his hand, placing his fingers under her chin. Lifting her chin up, he took the cloth napkin away from her firm grasp. When their eyes locked, she could see the heartfelt compassion in his eyes as he took the napkin and wiped away the tears that now stained her face.

"Jarod, why can't you leave me alone? I don't want your sympathy," she bit out softly. "I don't deserve it."

Jarod still kept his fingers under her chin as he continued to stare at her before a small smile appeared on his lips. "Always playing the martyr aren't you?" he chuckled.

Miss Parker was going to swat his hand away, but he caught her hand in mid air. "Stop lashing out at me. I'm not the one who let you down tonight," he replied in a firm tone.

"Go to hell!" she hissed out as she quickly stood up. Pushing Jarod aside, she grabbed her coat and purse, running out of the suffocating restaurant.

Stepping outside, the cold air permeated through her skin, chilling her to the bone. The snow and wind was relentless as she tried to dig her car keys out of her purse. But, once again, she became clumsy as the keys fell to the snow covered ground. "Shit!" she cursed under her breath. As she was about to reach down and grab them, a man's hand reached down for them. Swearing to herself, she glanced up at Jarod.

"Miss Parker, I know your hurt and angry right now, but just for tonight, let's call a truce. Tonight we can just be friends instead of enemies. The only thing I want from you is your company. So, what do you say? Truce?" Jarod asked hopefully.

_**And life is like a song…**_

Miss Parker gave him a gaping look. "Jarod, have you gone off the deep end?"

Jarod gave her a perplexed look. "The deep end?" He looked around him before continuing, "I…I don't think so."

Miss Parker stared at him for a few seconds longer before laughing at the confused look plastered on his face.

"What?" he asked defensively. "What's so funny?"

Miss Parker tried to stifle her laughter, but seeing Jarod becoming annoyed only made her laugh more. Waving her hand in the air she answered back, "Nothing…nothing."

"You know what, forget this. I'm sorry my concern over your well being is nothing more than a joke to you," he scowled.

"Oh Jarod, lighten up, would ya?" she replied through a few remaining chuckles. Once she settled down she asked, "What…did you have in mind…for tonight I mean?" she asked anxiously.

Jarod's face softened at her question. "Well, I just thought…that tonight… we could, I mean, go back to my place." Seeing the rise of her eyebrows he hurriedly continued, "I mean, God, why is this so hard," he muttered under his breath.

Miss Parker smiled at his nervousness. In a way, it was somewhat endearing seeing him like this. _Wait! What was she thinking? This is Jarod. She shouldn't be thinking about him like this_, she thought.

"…I can make you a birthday dinner," he finished.

Miss Parker shook her head. "What? I wasn't paying attention."

Jarod smiled at her aloofness. "I _said_, we can go to my place, maybe watch a movie and have dinner." He paused for a moment, looking around him. "You have to answer soon because this storm is getting worse."

"I…" Miss Parker didn't have a chance to finish as the restaurant door opened up behind her, sending her stumbling forward, right into Jarod's arms.

_**At last…**_

_**The skies above are blue…**_

"Sorry," she apologized into Jarod's chest, trying her best to stand back up. Gazing up, she found Jarod smiling down at her. "What's so funny, Lab Rat?" she joked.

"I just never thought my dream would come true," he whispered out in awe.

Confusion flashed across Miss Parker's face. "What are you talking about now?" She could've easily pushed herself away from Jarod, but the warmth radiating from him was a blanket for her against the biting wind.

"This," he replied, raising his eyebrows in response. "Holding you in my arms…I," he abruptly stopped, trying to change the topic. "You know what, never mind." Lightly grasping her upper arms, Jarod pulled her away from him, but still kept his hands on her arms. They remained silent for a moment just staring at each other.

_**My heart was wrapped up in clover…**_

_**The night I looked at you…**_

Miss Parker felt hypnotized by Jarod's intense eyes. If she wasn't mistaken she could see a longing, almost hungry look in his eyes. Still in a trance like state, she watched helplessly as Jarod slowly lowered his face to hers. She should stop this, but surprisingly she didn't want to. As he came closer, she closed her eyes…

_**I found a dream, that I could speak to…**_

_**A dream that I can still call my own…**_

_**I found a thrill to press my cheek to…**_

_**A thrill that I have never known…**_

Jarod's mouth hovered above hers. His warm breath slightly tickled. Miss Parker knew Jarod like the back of her hand. A part of him was still apprehensive at what he was about to do. She could only imagine that he was probably simming the situation right now, trying to find out the outcome to see if it was worth the risk.

Opening her eyes, she wrapped her arms around Jarod's neck. Reaching up, she ran the back of her hand along his cheek. "Jarod, you have to trust me," she commented softly, feeling slightly vulnerable.

"I know," he whispered, but he was still hesitant to make the first move.

Not one to be patient, Miss Parker decided to take matters into her own hands as she pulled him down for their second kiss.

The kiss was innocent at first as both took the time to savor each others lips. Jarod pulled Miss Parker to him as his kissing became more urgent. He couldn't seem to get enough. Backing her against the wall, he continued his kissing as his mouth traveled along her jawbone and down her neck.

Jarod's mouth felt like fire against her skin. Running her fingers through his hair, she pulled him to her as he continued his assault against her skin. She let out a soft moan as Jarod nipped his teeth against her neck. Grasping his face, she brought his mouth back up to hers, kissing him with everything she had. This time Jarod moaned as her tongue explored every inch of his mouth. Feeling the need for air, they both pulled away slightly, resting their foreheads against one another as they continued to gasp for air.

"Wow," Jarod panted, still to shocked at what just happened.

"Wow indeed," she smiled.

_**You smile, you smile…**_

_**Oh, and then the spell was cast…**_

Pulling back, Jarod looked down at her, seeing the playful smile on her lips. Grinning back, he commented suggestively, "If you liked that, just think of all the fun we could have back at my place." Wiggling his eyebrows at the suggestion, he received another chuckle from Miss Parker. Oh how he loved that sound, he thought.

Miss Parker sighed, pretending to contemplate the suggestion. "Well, I don't know." Smiling slyly she asked, "Do you think you're man enough to handle the likes of me?"

Jarod's grin got broader as he pulled her to him. "I don't know, do you think your woman enough to satisfy the likes of me," he teased back.

Reaching up, she roughly grabbed his shirt collar, pulling him down to her eye level. "Jarod, when I'm done with you, you won't be able to walk straight for a week," she shot back with a twinkle in her eye.

"Is that a promise?"

"What do you think?"

"I think…" stopping mid sentence, he leaned down kissing her passionately, "I think we need to get out of here. With this blizzard coming in we're going to be stranded for days, and I want to take full advantage of the time we have together," he smiled an added, "…and you."

_**And here we are in heaven…**_

Grabbing Jarod's hand, she pulled him to her car. "Well Lab Rat, lets go, time's a wasting."

Chuckling behind her, Jarod snuggled up behind her, wrapping his strong arms around her waist. Nibbling her ear he whispered, "Miss Parker, I hope all your birthday wishes come true this year."

Abruptly stopping, Miss Parker turned around in his arms. Wrapping one arm around his neck, she laid her free hand over his heart. With sincere eyes she answered back, "Don't worry Jarod, one just came true already." Reaching up, she planted a sweet, tender kiss upon his lips. "Now let's go," she added cheerfully.

Not needing any more encouragement, Jarod eagerly followed behind her.

_**For you are mine…**_

_**At last…**_

**THE END.**

A/N: I might make a sequel to this story, using another song. The song I have in mind is "Forgive Me" by Evanescence. I was going to separate these two song fics, but a part of me wants to use this song as a sequel. So, tell me what you guys think, should I do a sequel, or should this story remain by itself.


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